Special Questions of the Archaeology of Aegean Civilisations [ LARKO2340 ]

 On top of a term test, students are required to provide an essay proposal and a critical scientific paper to be presented as a lecture. The assessment of the work leans on the scientific qualities of the essay (presentation, methodological approach, reasoning, bibliography, etc.), and on the didactic value of the oral presentation (expression, clarity, documentation, suggested readings, grasp of subject matter, etc.).

 

Essay proposal:

Worth:            10% of the final mark

Format:           2 pages

 

Essay and lecture:

Worth:                        50% of the final mark (30% for the essay, 20% for the lecture)

Format:           8 to 10 pages

 

Term test:

Worth:            40% of the final mark

The major part of the course is given in class by the instructor with a visual Powerpoint support. The students are requested to write an essay that they will present in class as a one-hour course.

The course topic developed during the academic year 2011-2012 will be "War, peace and diplomacy in the Ancient Near-East". Archaeological data and historical documents will be questioned, which inform us on the major conflicts that involved the different ancient Near-Eastern cultures, as well as the diplomatic relationships that the oriental kingdoms entertained with their neighbours: military strategies, warfare paraphernalia and equipment, peace treaties, alliances, royal propaganda, conflicts motivations, conquests, social and economical impact of wars, diplomatic relationships, marriages, use of terror, deportations, etc.

This course aims at deepening, every year, a specific topic pertaining to the ancient Near-Eastern history, art history and archaeology. It will also offer the students the opportunity to make use of their critical skills and interpretation methodology on monuments and artefacts brought to our knowledge by oriental archaeology, as well as their pedagogical abilities when lecturing on such topics. The course is supported by a strong visual and documentary background.

 Students will receive, at the beginning of the term, a comprehensive description of the topics tackled in the course, of the instructor's expectations, work load, essay, marking scheme and deadlines, as well as a list of suggested essay topics, an extensive bibliography and a page of information on plagiarism.

 

 

Artzi, Pinhas.

1987         "The influence of political marriages on the international relations of the Amarna-Age", in J.-M. Durand (ed.), La Femme dans le Proche-Orient antique, Compte rendu de la 33^e Rencontre assyriologique internationale, Paris: Recherche sur les Civilisations, 23-26.

Beal, Richard H.

1992           The Organisation of the Hittite Military, Texte der Hethiter 20, Heidelberg: Carl Winter.

Briend, Jacques / Lebrun, René / Puech, Émile.

1992         Traités et serments dans le Proche-Orient ancien, Supplément aux Cahiers Évangile n°81, Paris : Cerf. 

Charpin, Dominique and Joannès, Francis (eds).

1991         Marchands, diplomates et empereurs. Études sur la civilisation mésopotamienne offertes à Paul Garelli, Paris: Recherche sur les Civilisations.

Crouch, Carly L.

2009          War and Ethics in the Ancient Near East: Military Violence in Light of Cosmology and History, Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 407, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co.

http://books.google.com/books?id=vDF9A0jT8RQC&printsec=frontcover&hl=fr&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Eph'al, Israel

1983          'On Warfare and Military Control in the Ancient Near Eastern Empires: A Research Outline', in H. Tadmor et M. Weinfeld (eds), History, Historiography, and Interpretation: Studies in Biblical and Cuneiform Literatures, Jerusalem:  The Hebrew University.

Fales, Frederick M.

2010          Guerre et paix en Assyrie: Religion et impérialisme, Les Conférences de l'École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris: Cerf.

Freu, Jacques.

2005         'uppiluliuma et la veuve du pharaon, Histoire d'un mariage manqué : Essai sur les relations égypto-hittites, Paris: Kubaba.

Galter, Hannes D.

1998          War, Peace and Empire: Justifications for War in Assyrian Royal Inscriptions, Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag.

Hamblin, William J. 

2006          Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC, Holy Warriors at the Dawn of History, London: Routledge.

Lafont, Bertrand.

1992          'Messagers et ambassadeurs dans les archives de Mari', in D. Charpin et F. Joannès (dir.), La circulation des biens, des personnes et des idées dans le Proche-Orient ancien, Compte rendu de la 38^e Rencontre assyriologique internationale, Paris: Recherche sur les Civilisations, 167-183.

2001          'Relations internationales, alliances et diplomatie au temps des rois de Mari', in J.-M. Durand et D. Charpin (dir.), Amurru 2, Mari, Ébla et les Hourrites, Dix ans de travaux, Paris: Éditions Recherche sur les Civlizations, 213-328.

Lerouxel, François.

2002          'Les échanges de présents entre les souverains amorrites au XVIII^e siècle d'après les archives de Mari', Florilegium Marianum VI: 413-463.

Limet, Henri.

1998          'Les animaux enjeux involontaires de la politique (au Proche-Orient ancien)', dans L. Bodson (dir.), Les animaux exotiques dans les relations internationales : espèces, fonctions, significations, Liège: Université de Liège/Institut de zoologie, 33-52.

Miller, Patrick D.

1986          'Experimental Approaches to Ancient Near Eastern Archery', World Archaeology 18/2 : 178-195.

Oded, Bustenay.

1979          Mass Deportations and Deportees in the Neo-Assyrian Royal Inscriptions, Wiesbaden: Ludvig Reichert Verlag.

Oller, Gary H.

1995         'Messengers and Ambassadors in Ancient Western Asia', dans J. M. Sasson (ed.), Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, New York : Scribner, 1465-1474.

Pongratz-Leisten, Beate.

1995          'The Interplay of Military Strategy and Cultic Practice in Assyrian Politics', in S. Parpola and R. Whiting, Assyria 1995: Proceedings of the Tenth Anniversary Symposium of the Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, Helsinki: Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, 245-252.

Redford, Donald B.   

1992           Egypt, Canaan and Israel in Ancient Times, Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press.

Singer, Itamar.

2006          'The failed reforms of Akhenaten and Muwatalli', in Egypt and the Hittites: contacts, conflict and diplomacy in the Late Bronze Age, actes du colloque international du Département Égyptien du British Museum (juillet 2005), BMSAES 6, 37-58.

http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/bmsaes/issue6/singer.html

Stillman, Nigel and Tallis, Nigel

1984          Armies of the Ancient Near East, 3000 BC to 539 BC: Organisation, Tactics, Dress and Equipment, Worthing: Wargames Research Group.

Verardi, Virginia      

2001          'Mariage et politique à l'époque Paléo-Babylonienne. Le cas des épouses de Hâyâ-Sumû', Cahiers d'Orient ancien 2: 23-32.

Wittfogel, Karl A.

1957           Oriental despotism: A Comparative Study of Total Power, New Haven: Yale University Press.

Wise, Terence.

1981          Ancient Armies of the Middle East, London: Osprey Publishing.

 

 

Yadin, Yigael.

1963          Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands in the Light of Archaeological Study, 2 volumes, Jerusalem: International Publishing Company.

There is no specific geographical or chronological limit for the choice of the essay topic, even though the course focuses on the periods running from the Early Bronze Age to the Hellenistic Period. A list of suggested topics will be given to the students, but everybody is free to choose their own subject matter, as long as it matches the annual course topic.